It’s mid-September and Bruce County trees are beginning to show their autumn colours.  I don’t know about you but the hiker in me enjoys fall walks far more than those mosquito-ridden ones of mid-summer.  When the air turns crisp, out come the hiking boots, camera, and walking stick.

There are a bewildering number of places to take a hike around Bruce County, far more trails than there have been in the past.  For a lengthy list that comes complete with descriptions and directions, there is nothing like the Bruce Grey Trail Network.   For sure, the internationally known Bruce Trail is the champion of them all.  This nearly legendary path following the heights of the Niagara Escarpment overlooking Georgian Bay can be accessed in Bruce County at its southernmost point at Wiarton – and then followed for well over 100 kilometres north to its terminus (or beginning depending on your point of view) at Tobermory.  Don’t forget your trail maps.  Even though it is well-blazed, you can get lost!

I’ve walked it many times on autumn days and it is indeed memorable.  But this season, I’m looking for something different, maybe like urban trails or boardwalk hikes.  Urban trails in Bruce County?  You better believe it.  There are four that I would heartily recommend.  Let’s start with Walkerton’s Saugeen River Trail, a 5.5 kilometre picturesque path that runs along the Saugeen River.  It has eight access points and great views out over one of southern Ontario’s major rivers.  

Not far away is the Chesley Heritage Trail that follows the banks of the beautiful North Saugeen River and runs smack-dab through the village, connecting some of its most important historical sites.  Four klicks in length, it includes two bridges with dramatic views of the river that just beg to be photographed.

Paisley also has a trail, some six kilometers in length.  It’s an easy walk on dykes and through fields and forests to downtown Paisley.  It passes the historical Hose Tower and Town Hall before crossing a newly renovated railway bridge over the Teeswater River with a great look at the historical Stark’s Mill, now Nature’s Millwork, a fascinating craft and artisans’ shop.

Kincardine has also turned its attention to walking with seven kilometres of trails and boardwalks.  There is a wheelchair accessible boardwalk that runs south of the harbour past planted gardens, marine heritage interpretation signs, and sand dunes.

The town’s growing trail system is centered on the historic Penetangore River and can be accessed from the Kincardine Lighthouse.  And don’t forget the Penetangore Path that leads upstream through the Geddes Environmental Park, a place to stop, linger and look.

If you are looking for an-all ages, easy chance to explore Bruce County’s famous fens and wetlands, boardwalks are the answer.  Just north of Oliphant on the Bruce Coast is the Oliphant Boardwalk, a great family destination that is wheelchair accessible and relatively short.  

Like the nearby Petrel Point Nature Reserve, just 20 minutes north, the boardwalks lead into fens, beds of wet sand covering a limestone bedrock base where a wide variety of unique plants await.  And, on the opposite side of the Bruce Peninsula, don’t’ miss Cape Croker’s boardwalk.  Located on the reserve, the Snake Trail Boardwalk is wheelchair accessible and links with the Bruce Trail as it heads up the Niagara Escarpment.

For more details and good directions, check out www.brucegreytrails.com
And get walking!

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Posted on: 17/09/10